President Lee Jae Myung delivers his inaugural address as he is sworn in at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on June 4, 2025, following a snap election victory. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
When President Lee Jae Myung took office on June 4, 2025, he faced a range of global and domestic challenges from the protracted leadership vacuum that followed South Korea's martial law crisis.
Lee was elected with 17.29 million votes, or 49.42 percent of the total, in the snap election the previous day, following the impeachment and ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
Immediately after he was sworn in, Lee got straight to work without a presidential transition committee to tackle neglected state affairs, a diplomatic vacuum and a stagnant economy amid rapidly changing global and geopolitical conditions.
Perhaps the most pressing challenge was reaching a trade deal with Washington after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on South Korean goods in April, with a three-month grace period for negotiations.
